Artists:Easton, Stagger, Phillips

Easton, Stagger, Phillips

An American, a Canadian, and an Alaskan walk out of a bar...

Part time troubadours will come and go. For Tim Easton (JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA), Leeroy Stagger(VICTORIA, CANADA) and Evan Phillips (ANCHORAGE, ALASKA), traveling the world and singing songs isn't just a diversion. It's a way of life. It is how they survive in this world, and it is what caused them to cross each others paths.

The three singer/songwriters first came together at Easton's Joshua Tree desert home in 2007. They had mutual respect for each others work but the thought of forming a band was the last thing on their minds. Fast forward to January 2008 where Easton and Stagger are the support acts for Phillips' band The Whipsaws on their Alaskan CD release tour and the three start to collaborate. With the assistance of Anchorage resident and recording engineer Greg Benolkin, the three musicians found themselves laying down tracks during a winter storm in a cabin in Girdwood, Alaska. The snow was falling and the tape was rolling and what came out of that three day session was a lifelong friendship plus a beautiful record of songs the three had been stockpiling. The majority of ONE FOR THE DITCH was recorded at that session, and on the third evening, their first performance as Easton, Stagger, Phillips took place at Vagabond Blues in Palmer, Alaska.

The trio later reconvened in the lower 48 in March 2008 for a cross country drive from Austin to Joshua Tree in order to add the finishing touches on the primarily acoustic recordings. Hunkering down at Easton's home cabin studio as well as Victoria Williams' Chapparal Bottoms studio, ESP recruited Bobby Furgo (Leonard Cohen band)on violin, and took turns overdubbing organ bass pedals on some of the songs, using a vintage Gulbransen Pacemaker organ that Easton had scored for $50 at a local thrift store, to finish what was to be ESP's debut album "One For The Ditch."

There is a familiar dynamic to this band. Stagger says "we keep each other together and in check, which makes it a very easy and fulfilling band to be in." Evan Phillips added, "We are also big fans of each other so that helps." Easton agrees that "this is a natural fit. We travel well as a trio and we are not afraid to push each other to do better work. There's a ton of songwriters out rambling about, and I feel lucky to have crossed paths with these two."

ONE FOR THE DITCH is being released by REBELTONE RECORDS, and this introduction to the band showcases the kind of song writing tradition that brought the three together in the first place. From the classic, Townes Van Zandt inspired storytelling of Leeroy Stagger in the opening track "Hell of A Life," which chronicles the life and times of the wayward troubadour, to the mountain stream vocals of Evan Phillips in northern life inspired songs such as "Highway 395" or "Walk Away," to the optimistic sing along "Festival Song," which has all three members of the band taking turns at verses written by Tim Easton, with the three voices blending as one generation for the chorus shout out "It feels like the world is gonna be alright." This acoustic debut album is the begining of a life long collaborative effort and dedication to making music and traveling the world together as Easton, Stagger, Phillips.

Tim Easton
www.timeaston.com
www.myspace.com/timeaston

Leeroy Stagger
www.leeroystagger.com
www.myspace.com/leeroystagger

Evan Phillips
www.thewhipsaws.com
www.myspace.com/thewhipsaws